"Oh, I forgot to mention, once you injure these fierce beasts to a certain extent, they'll flee on their own," Tian Yi stated matter-of-factly. "Think about its speed; if we could kill it, we would have done so long ago. We understand the concept of a permanent solution."
"Meaning there's another space inside? What kind of place is that?"
Tian Yi shook his head. "I don't know. Those villagers don't know either, but the rumor is that it's the fierce beast's lair, and there's more than one."
Alright.
Li Chonglou finally had a rough understanding of the situation.
Then, let's get to it.
Without further ado, Li Chonglou walked directly to the stone door. Mimicking Tian Yi's earlier actions, he placed his hands on it.
Li Chonglou had some confidence in his own strength, being a descendant of Mai Qian, one of whose traits was the development of the body. Furthermore, if any urgent situation arose, he could temporarily fuse his soul with Elder An. Although this underground mine was rumored to be off-limits to cultivators, Li Chonglou hadn't sensed anything unusual so far.
However, a dramatic scene unfolded.
"Why isn't it moving?"
Li Chonglou was baffled. As he increased his force, the stone door remained utterly still! Even when he exerted his full strength, with veins bulging on his arms, the result was the same. The stone door showed no sign of even a tremor! For a moment, Li Chonglou froze.
"What's wrong? Scared?" Tian Yi asked Li Chonglou, looking puzzled.
"How much force did you use?" Li Chonglou turned to him.
"Just normal force," Tian Yi replied.
No, if Tian Yi were hiding his strength, Li Chonglou would have noticed when he subdued him earlier! After all, it was a surprise attack, and Tian Yi's reactions were purely instinctive, with no room to conceal his strength!
"You try it." Li Chonglou immediately stepped back.
Tian Yi flinched and quickly shook his head, "No, no."
"Uh, I can't push it."
"I don't believe you. If you can't even push this stone door, we wouldn't be standing here now." Tian Yi shook his head like a rattle, his attitude exceptionally firm.
Li Chonglou rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Stop messing around, I really can't push it."
"I can't even defeat you, and you can't push open a stone door?"
"I can't push it." Li Chonglou shook his head, his brow furrowed. "I suspect it has something to do with my special physique. I still don't feel the abnormality you mentioned."
Seeing his serious expression, Tian Yi finally realized he wasn't making excuses.
"You really can't push it?" Li Chonglou nodded with a grim expression.
"But, but I really can't defeat you, and either of us can easily push open this stone door!" Tian Yi was momentarily at a loss. Even if he believed Li Chonglou, he was hesitant to push the door. Who knew if the fierce beast was hiding behind it? The villagers had mentioned such occurrences before!
Li Chonglou saw his predicament and proactively offered, "How about this, I'll stand in front of you, and you help me push the stone door open."
"You stand in front of me?"
Under Li Chonglou's direction, the two struck a peculiar pose. Li Chonglou stood before the stone door, almost pressing his face against it, while Tian Yi stood behind him, almost clinging to him, with his hands on the stone door. If it were a man and a woman in this posture, it might evoke some imagination. But two grown men standing like this looked utterly bizarre!
Tian Yi also felt the awkwardness and couldn't help but remind, "Brother, cooperate a bit when the time comes. Once the door opens, you slip inside."
"Hurry up, stop chattering." With the time spent talking, the door could have been pushed open already! You're not the only one feeling awkward!
Tian Yi quickly shut his mouth and pushed forward with all his might. The previously closed stone door indeed slowly creaked open.
Damn, this thing is discriminatory! Li Chonglou grumbled inwardly but quickly composed himself, focusing on the situation behind the stone door. As the gap widened, the aura, very similar to that of the Black Spirit, surged forth again, even more potent than before. Without time to think, a flash of green entered his vision.
The gap between the doors grew larger, and seeing it was now wide enough for one person to slip through, Li Chonglou, about to break free from the awkward embrace and rush in, suddenly recalled a sentence Tian Yi had said.
No! The reason he could smell the scent earlier was because the fresh herbs here had volatilized. Logically, there shouldn't be such an aura inside!
"Retreat!"
Still wondering why Li Chonglou wasn't entering, Tian Yi, before he could even react, was struck by Li Chonglou's "shoulder bump" squarely in the chest.
He lied to me? Tian Yi's first thought was that Li Chonglou wanted to silence him to open this second stone door. While his mind was racing, his body was already lifted off the ground. But he couldn't push the stone door, could he? I've already closed the first one, so if he kills me now... Tian Yi instinctively looked forward.
A dark shadow suddenly entered his field of vision.
"Holy crap!"
Tian Yi's scalp tingled. He finally understood why Li Chonglou had suddenly shoved him away. The damned fierce beast was hiding behind the stone door!
The one bearing the brunt was, of course, Li Chonglou, who stood at the forefront. Even with his lightning-fast reaction to shove Tian Yi away, that half-second delay allowed the suddenly appearing fierce beast to catch up. It was exactly as Tian Yi had described: a tiger's limbs and a leopard's body, with a tortoise-like head. Its gaping maw, filled with densely packed teeth, was enough to make one's scalp numb just looking at it. Its speed was indeed incredible, almost rivaling that of a master in a higher realm!
With no time to dodge, Li Chonglou gritted his teeth and swung his right fist with all his might. The fierce beast's eyes were blood-red, resembling a demonically possessed beast. It directly lunged to bite down on Li Chonglou's swinging fist. Its massive palm landed on Li Chonglou's head.
*Bang!*
*Rrrrip!*
With a pull and a tear, several shreds of cloth flew out, and Li Chonglou's entire right arm was instantly covered in blood. His head was forcefully pinned to the ground.
"Roar!"
The fierce beast roared towards Tian Yi in a show of dominance. Tian Yi, who had just slammed to a stop against the stone wall, didn't even have time to feel the pain before frantically trying to crawl away. A ripple of something flashed in the beast's blood-red eyes. Just as it was about to move, it suddenly felt its front paw being locked by a powerful force. The fierce beast instinctively lowered its head, meeting Li Chonglou's gaze.
Shock, confusion.
Li Chonglou could actually read emotions in its eyes!
"Get down!" Li Chonglou roared. The fierce beast, over two meters, almost three meters tall, was actually lifted by its front paw by him.
*Over-the-shoulder throw!*
"Roar!"
With a howl, the ground trembled violently. The fierce beast's pupils flickered, clearly dazed by the fall.